Exploring the Wonderful World of Cruise Ships

Uniworld Boutique River Cruises latest and best ship, SS Antoinette, was christened last Sunday by her godmother and namesake, Antoinette (Toni) Tollman in Amsterdam. Ms. Tollman, daughter of parent company Travel Corp’s CEO, Stanley Tollman, was also the lead designer and guiding spirit for the ship’s interior decor.

The ship’s design was inspired by the Chateau de Versailles, and embodies an 18th century French style brought into the 21st century. As she explains it: “The design of the ship began with the spectacular blue sapphire 10-foot Baccarat chandelier that adorns the Antoinette’s two-story lobby. This very chandelier once hung in New York’s famous Tavern on the Green restaurant. My family and I had dined many times under that chandelier, and when the restaurant closed, we purchased it for sentimental reasons, planning to use it somewhere.”

Guests will see echoes of Versailles throughout the ship. Of particular note, the Salon du Grand Trianon was inspired by the Hall of Mirrors, and the Restaurant de Versailles by the ornamental gardens there.

The Antoinette, sister ship to River Beatrice (launched in March 2009 and named for Ms. Tollman’s mother), is 443 feet long and 37.5 feet wide. She has 73 staterooms, ranging from 167 square feet up to 391 square feet for the Owners Suite. Suites and staterooms on Deck 4 have private, open air balconies which can be enclosed by a retractable glass wall in cooler weather.

Among other innovations, the Antoinette has the first heated indoor pool on a river boat, as well as a 20 seat movie theater.

The Antoinette will sail the Rhine River, offering the “Castles Along The Rhine” itinerary. Service begins this Sunday, March 27th.

As I first mentioned in a previous post, Viking River Cruises is in the midst of a $250 million fleet development program, solidifying even more strongly its place as the leading river cruise company in the world.

In a recent announcement, Viking has released details of four new vessels, designated longships, which will be introduced into European waters at the beginning of the 2012 river cruising season. No other river cruise company has matched this milestone. For Viking, however, this is the second time since 2001 that they have accomplished this feat. I would imagine they are quite proud of this, and justifiably so.

Named after four gods in the Norse pantheon, the ships – Viking Freya, Viking Idun, Viking Njord and Viking Odin – will blend cutting edge technology with unrivaled amenities, including the largest real suites available on European rivers.

Each ship will have two Explorer Suites, measuring 445 square feet with wrap around veranda, and seven Veranda Suites of 270 square feet with a full veranda. All of these suites will feature separate bedrooms and living rooms. The ships will measure 443 feet in length and offer 95 staterooms. In addition to the suites, 39 Veranda Staterooms will feature full verandas as well.

The four longships will sail some of Viking River Cruises’ most popular European river routes, including the 10-day Tulips & Windmills, 8-day Romantic Danube, 15-day Grand European Tour and 8-day Danube Waltz.

With the two new ships entering service this year, Viking Emerald and Viking Prestige, and the four ships just announced for next year, Viking is more than half way to their stated goal of ten new ships by 2013. Add in several refurbishments of ships already in service, and the outlook for river cruising with Viking just keeps getting brighter.